Words and Music literacy feast starts Nov. 28 in New Orleans: Vieux Point

Feasting is a major part of holiday traditions, and celebrating in the South means plenty of good home cooking. I despise the term “pig out,” but couldn’t help myself at Thanksgiving. I don’t even want to think about food; it’s time for a literary feast.

“Words & Music, a Literary Feast in New Orleans” starts Nov. 28 and runs through Nov. 2 with a scrumptious schedule of author events.

Louisiana author Ernest J. Gaines, who wrote “A Lesson Before Dying” and “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” and actress Cicely Tyson, who starred in the film adaptations of both novels, are guests of honor.

“We sincerely hope to see many of you at ‘Words & Music’,” said co-founder Rosemary James.

James predicts that “Literature and Lunch” sessions will be very popular. One such session sure to draw applause is Irvin Mayfield’s new jazz suite, “Jazz After Hours.” Based on the writing of Gaines, the concert will be performed by the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and “Faulkner for All” starring Tyson.

Live drama unfolds Nov. 28 at 4:30 p.m. at the Old U.S. Mint when playwright Rosary O”Neill presents a staged reading of “Marilyn/God” and writer John Biguenet gives a sneak preview at 5:45 p.m. of “Mold,” the third play in his Katrina trilogy, “Rising Water.”

Writer Dalt Wonk will be master of ceremonies. Before staged readings, refreshments will be served, and afterwards O’Neill and Biguenet will do a master class in “Creating Dramatic Tension in Plays and Novels.”

Biguenet said his play, “Mold,” was inspired by a photograph of mold that he snapped in his Lakeview home when he and his wife Marcia were allowed to go back after the storm.

One of my all-time favorite novels is Biguenet’s “Oyster,” a powerful story about a deadly rivalry between two Louisiana oyster families. To avoid ruin, an oysterman pledges his young daughter, Therese, to an old man, Horse Bruneau, who swears not to foreclose on Petitjean’s house and boat.

O’Neill grew up in New Orleans and writes about it as “that exotic, bizarre, sensual city.” Her play “Marilyn/God” is about an actress that hears voices in her head when she finds out that she must audition to get into heaven and that her judges are her enemies and aborted children.

O’Neill is the founder of Southern Repertory Theatre. Currently, she is artist-in-residence for the fall at Harvard and resides in New York City.

These events are but a brief sample from the five-day menu. The great thing about “Words & Music” is that it happens right here in our backyard, the French Quarter, and is truly a literary feast. So y’all come.

“You can register for the whole ball of wax with a Words & Music sponsor pass or for a single discussion session,” James said. For reservations, email Faulkhouse@aol.com or call 504.524.2940. For schedules, visit wordsandmusic.org.

Bourbon Street endangered

Louisiana Landmarks Society has announced its “Nine Most Endangered Sites List,” and it includes Bourbon Street!

Bourbon Street is so lively that I never thought of it as endangered, so I was flabbergasted when I saw that 17 buildings from 220 to 1300 Bourbon St. made the list. They were cited for structural neglect, overcrowding, excessive noise vibration and the loss of historic fabric.

“Never in the city’s 300 years has the need for sound preservation been more pressing,” said Thomas Ryan, Landmarks’ president.

Ryan invites you to join Papa Noel at Le Marche des Fetes, a holiday boutique at the Pitot House, 1440 Moss St., on Dec. 1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 or free to Landmarks members. For information, visit louisianalandmarks.org.

Jon Kemp writes about the French Quarter, CBD, Marigny, Bywater and Treme. Send news and events to Islandlog@aol.com.